Proper functioning of the central nervous system is essential in any animal. Damage to the central nervous system, and particularly the brain, can have a wide range of physical, cognitive, and behavioral effects, including paralysis, dementia, disruption of proper motor function, and even death. As a result, timely administration of effective treatment is of critical importance. Unfortunately several obstacles often make treatment difficult. One such obstacle is the blood brain barrier, which is a collection of tight junctions between neighboring capillary endothelial cells of the brain. These junctions prevent most substances from crossing unless they are either highly lipophilic or specifically transported across the blood brain barrier. A second obstacle is time itself. Specifically, it is well known that many medical treatments are most effective, or even, in some cases, only effective if administered quickly after injury. In the case of a stroke, for example, this critical period of time is known as the “golden hour”. A study by Jeffrey Saver is often referenced in the stroke literature wherein it was estimated that a stroke sufferer loses approximately 1.9 million neurons every minute that the stroke remains untreated (see Saver, J L, Time is Brain—Quantified, 2006, Stroke 37:263-266). This study lead to the often used phrase “time is brain” to describe how rapid administration of therapy is critical to treating the effects of a stroke.